Entertainment

In the summer of 1977, Ron Howard made his directorial debut with “Grand Theft Auto,” a merrily destructive low-budget fairy tale that found its way into a lot of newly twinned multiplexes that summer of ’77. Audiences liked Howard. An entire generation grew up with the guy, best known as Opie...

Lucasfilm

Under Imperial fire, brash young Han (Alden Ehrenreich, right) and his right-hand Wookiee, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), make another daring escape in "Solo: A Star Wars Story."

2018 Orlando Fringe Reviews (From A-Z)

My favorite part of “1 Hour” only lasts a couple of minutes. That’s the beauty and the curse of sketch comedy: We’ll be moving on soon, so enjoy what you see while it lasts. My top scene was basically a SeaWorld human-resources sketch. Without giving away anything, the big laughs were sudden and...

The question echoes with despair: “Who am I?” “Who am I?” Ghosts, you see, don’t have any memory of their human existence — and Paul Strickland and Erika Kate MacDonald team to tell the tale of a specter in search of its identity. “13 Dead Dreams of ‘Eugene’” is a dandy little ghost story. Strickland...

Curious what you’re thinking? Australian psychic Tim Motley can probably tell you with alarming accuracy. And the first thing you’re thinking is that an Australian show at Fringe with the words “Dick Tricks” in the title is going to be a sequel to “Puppetry of the Penis” — but it isn’t. Under the...

Teater KEF is the first group from Sweden to perform at the Orlando Fringe Festival, and all I can say after seeing the delightfully entertaining “A Solo from the Pit (Second Trombone’s Voice)” is: What took you so long? Elias Faingersh is a virtuoso trombonist — and he makes intriguing music during...

The perky, peppy little musical “Along the Way” shows what can happen when you live in a town populated with professional performers. This lighthearted romp, set at an airport departure gate, boasts familiar faces in its polished cast: Michelle Knight (“Disenchanted”), Robby Pigott (Sak Comedy...

Audiences may have herd Emil Guillermo’s dulcet tones as the he first Filipino host of NPR'S "All Things Considered” — but it may not have been the ‘real’ him. Guillermo is candid about his struggle between feeling too American in some cases and too Filipino in other cases (“at one point calling...

God has returned to the Orlando Fringe, and her followers are rejoicing. In this, the world premiere of “An All New God Is A Scottish Drag Queen,” creator Mike Delamont brings the fifth iteration of the deity to his fans. As expected, God addresses theology, technology, and the human condition...

Zach Dorn spins a formidable artistic talent and a quirky personality into an entertaining mishmash of random skits — short bursts of oddness that more often than not provoke the intended laughter. Think of his show, “An Excruciatingly Ordinary Toy Theater Show,” as a comic book come to life, or...

At last year’s Fringe Festival, the Big Bang Boom! Cabaret troupe set the burlesque bar higher with an inventive, dramatic interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death.” This year’s performance – “Apt. 2C” – doesn’t measure up, though the production has a fine concept. It just...

Paging Esther Williams! The glory days of 1940s and ‘50s “aqua-musicals” have returned. Voci Dance presents “AquaDance” at Orlando Fringe, with performances in an attractive swimming pool. (The audience sits under shelter so rain wouldn’t be an issue.) This endeavor is so lightweight it’s no wonder...

Violinist and dancer Jose Navarro is well-known to Fringe Festival audiences through his 2017 solo show “Alignment” and his work with the VarieTease troupe. This year’s offering, “Awake,” shows flashes of his thrilling dancing and emotional violin playing – but only flashes. Somehow along the way,...

Gerard Harris drinks non-alcoholic beer and water onstage, and for the love of Fringe, let’s keep him away from coffee. With a performance style that might best be described as “overcaffeinated” or “manic,” Harris lets loose a torrent of words so fast you might feel lost at first. Truth be told,...

This is not a show about male genitalia. No, this is a show about a detective, Portland comedian DK Reinemer tries to tell the crowd who walked in with hopes of catching similar to the 2012 male stripper movie “Magic Mike.” He’s only sort of right. There is some semblance of a plot — it involves...

Katie Thayer is a woman with a bright smile and a unique business. She’s Bikini Katie, the entrepreneur behind Bikini Advertising Space, now in its sixth year at the Orlando Fringe. For a modest fee, performers write on Katie’s bikini-clad body. Then she, along with this year’s assistants Bikini...

Monica Titus threw me with the title of her atmospheric Fringe show. “Black Crow Cabaret” is not a cabaret in the traditional sense. There is music, written by Titus, and it is very good — especially the haunting opening number that determinedly pulls you under the performer’s spell. But the emphasis...

There’s a lot to like about Bloke and Swagger — and the main thing is the talent of the two stars. Part singing, part keyboard, part magic and part jokes, this cabaret show works so well because Julian Bond and Safia Hudson are naturals. She has charisma and sings soprano with ease. He plays keyboard...

Two blondes fell down a hole. One said, "It's dark in here isn't it?" The other replied, "I don't know; I can't see." (Rimshot) That’s basically what you get in the Fringe show “Blonde,” 60 minutes of sketch comedy based on worn-out jokes that feed a stereotype of pretty but dumb blonde women....

Blue Star’s VarieTease troupe returns with a taut, tight performance that has an intensely personal quality to it. “Spellbound” features the hallmarks of VarieTease — stylish design, outstanding music choices and movement that makes an impact. “Spellbound” has a black-and-white theme, with Star...

Mitch the new monarch butterfly is feeling a little insecure. He can’t see those fabulous wings that everyone else keeps raving about. He just doesn’t understand why everyone thinks he’s so special. If this sounds like a metaphor for an adult’s self-doubts, well, it is. Part of the charm of the...

Veteran Fringers will be excited to see two festival favorites team up in “Bushel and Peck.” Alastair Knowles of James & Jamesy joins Stephanie Morin-Robert of “The Merkin Sisters/BLINDSIDE” in this oddly artistic mish-mosh of Fringe fun. There are creative uses of dry wall, hair dryers, magnifying...

Cabaret often has a connective theme — songs that inspire the performer, or “my wacky adventures on cruise ships,” or the like. In “California Kiki,” Brett McMahon sticks with a more generic approach — essentially snapshots from his life. It’s a decision that hampers his storytelling, but not his...

Thom Mesrobian’s “Callbacks” winningly pulls off the tricky feat of capturing a particular community — without making outsiders feel left out of the fun. “Callbacks” is about theme-park actors — and a specific sort at that: not the young kids putting on Goofy costumes, but their more mature brethren...

Who doesn’t love a good fish-out-of-water story? In “A Canadian Bartender at Butlin’s,” masterful storyteller TJ Dawe is the fish. Fresh out of high school, the Vancouver resident is definitely out of his comfort zone — a couple thousand miles from his comfort zone, in fact — as he begins work...

A Rumplestiltskin of comedy, Chris Turner weaves everyday straw into comedy gold. There are plenty of laughs throughout his entire fresh and polished presentation, but the highest moments are when this proper British boy from Manchester drops the beat and creates his hip-hop raps. Items pulled...

Burlesque! That’s really the whole description of this show. It’s not particularly themed (I guess, “be yourself” comes up a couple times), just a parade of women and men singing, lip-syncing or dancing and usually winding up in their skivvies. The Fringe Factor: This marks the fourth year Corsets...

Movies, Music & More

Al Mertz isn’t quite ready to let go of Colonial Lanes. “I better wear my sunglasses because I’ll start crying,” said the longtime Orlando resident. Mertz, 72, has been bowling at the iconic Orlando alley since the late-1960s. He joined his first league there in 1970 and has been secretary and...

It’s a false impression that Orlando is a small town. In March, the Orlando Sentinel reported that the metro area has cracked 2.5 million people. We have thousands of unique businesses and arts organizations and nigh-infinite ways to entertain ourselves in these 4,000 square miles. But, yeah, sometimes...

David Crosby has a very succinct reason for why he’s still making music. “I love singing,” said the acoustic folk legend. “I love singing so much that I can’t even start to tell you.” For last year’s “Sky Trails,” the co-founder of Crosby, Stills & Nash worked with a group of musicians including...

Steven Van Zandt hasn’t been center stage in a while. “Fronting a band is quite a bit different,” said the songwriter over the phone. “I haven’t done it for 20-25 years and it’s slowly coming back to me.” Van Zandt, best known as the guitarist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, is heading out...

Local Theater & Arts

It’s certainly one of the oddest performances at the Orlando Fringe Festival — and that’s saying something. “A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for Fifty-Six Minutes and Then Leaves” made its local premiere late Tuesday night — early Wednesday...

‘Callbacks’ Thom Mesrobian’s “Callbacks” winningly pulls off the tricky feat of capturing a particular community — without making outsiders feel left out of the fun. “Callbacks” is about theme-park actors — and a specific sort at that: not the young kids putting on Goofy costumes, but their more...

Here’s a way to put your personal stamp on Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts: Have a seat in center’s Walt Disney Theater named for you. Naming rights are now available for each of the theater’s 2,700 seats — and just as when buying a show ticket, the closer the seat is to the...

United Arts of Central Florida raised more than $2.07 million during its 2018 Collaborative Campaign, exceeding its goal by about $70,000. During the three-month campaign, which runs February-April each year, United Arts partners with the region’s largest cultural organizations to collectively...

For its 36th season, “Survivor” delivered its first tie vote at the final tribal council. SPOILER ALERT: The jurors split, 5 to 5, between Domenick Abbate and Wendell Holland, the two dominant players this season. It fell to the third finalist, Laurel Johnson, to cast the vote for the winner in...

To appreciate the sheer outrageousness of “Springtime for Hitler,” catch Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” when it returns to movie theaters for a 50th anniversary celebration. The classic 1968 comedy will be back in theaters on Sunday, June 3, and Wednesday, June 6. Brooks’ comedy, for which he won...

Broadcast programmers favor the familiar. When they unveil their fall schedules, most new series sound recycled. There have been exceptions. Fox’s “24,” ABC’s “Lost” and NBC’s “This Is Us” were stunners when they arrived. Some newcomers this fall sound promising. In NBC’s “Manifest,” a plane lands...

Food & Restaurants

4 Rivers Smokehouse will be celebrating summer with new dishes that go beyond its Texas-style barbecue. The limited-time dishes will be available at all 4 Rivers locations except the downtown Orlando spot. The menu includes a set of barbacoa bowls, which layer rice, black beans, salsa verde, pico...

It’s easy to fill your pint glass with something local and delicious in Central Florida. Breweries, beer bars and bottle shops make it a hoppy place to live (I just couldn’t stop my self). Two areas are particularly prime for a beer crawl. The first is a half-mile stretch of beer-centric pubs and...

John Louizes grew up sweeping floors and helping customers in his family’s taffy shop, the now-named Zeno’s Boardwalk Sweet Shop. He was the third generation to do so. The shop was first opened in 1948 by the senior Louizes’ uncle, Tom Nouragas. It’s now namesake, Zeno Louizes, took it over in...

The sun is setting on this year’s Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, which will close on its 25th year on May 28. Get your last bites of the festival’s spring-inspired dishes. With 15 marketplaces, there’s a lot to choose — but I’ve highlighted a few of my favorites below. Beef Brisket...

National Entertainment

BuzzFeed News is developing a documentary for Hulu that will explore embattled R&B singer R. Kelly’s “alleged systematic abuse and exploitation of young, black women.” The project, which is expected to film in Chicago, will be based on the work by Jim DeRogatis, who has investigated Kelly for years...

Early-bird tickets for Riot Fest & Carnival, the one music festival that actually doesn’t care about what you want or when you want it (as emphasized by its deliciously snarky Twitter presence), go on sale at 8 p.m. Thursday — but you’ve still got to wait a week for the lineup. A limited amount...

Morgan Freeman has issued an apology for making women feel "uneasy," following a CNN report in which eight women alleged that he sexually harassed them or made inappropriate remarks. "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make...

Gwyneth Paltrow says ex-boyfriend Brad Pitt threatened producer Harvey Weinstein after an alleged incident of sexual misconduct. The 45-year-old actress told "The Howard Stern Show" on Wednesday she was "blindsided." Paltrow claimed she was 22 when Weinstein placed his hands on her at a hotel and...

“Roseanne” has been the big sitcom story of the season, and recently Ad Week talked with ABC honcho Ben Sherwood about the show’s revival. If Hollywood has been out of touch with “mainstream America, ” Sherwood asserts — a sweeping assumption Ad Week simply repeats as fact — the obvious move postelection...

Entertainment Blogs

Give Kids the World fundraisers will give folks a behind-the-scenes look at Florida companies who help create theme-park attractions. The tours are $50 apiece and also include a Q&A with leadership of the companies and lunch. All ticket sales will help Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee provide...

Look … up in the Orlando sky … it’s a bird, it’s a plane … It’s the Bat-Signal? Central Florida has a new stash of superhero goodness thanks to an original exhibit at Madame Tussauds Orlando. It’s called “Justice League: A Call for Heroes,” and it gives visitors a chance to get up-close to Wonder...

“The Voice” named its latest winner Tuesday night, but the biggest victor was that singer’s coach. SPOILER ALERT: The winning singer was … Brynn Cartelli, who at 15, is the youngest finalist in the show’s history, host Carson Daly noted. Cartelli of Longmeadow, Mass., blossomed under the guidance...